Marijuana is now America’s biggest cash crop, according to an analysis of government stats produced by marijuana public policy analyst Jon Gettman.
[The report] contends that the market value of pot produced in the U.S. exceeds $35 billion – far more than the crop value of such heartland staples as corn, soybeans and hay, which are the top three legal cash crops.
California is responsible for more than a third of the cannabis harvest, with an estimated production of $13.8 billion that exceeds the value of the state’s grapes, vegetables and hay combined – and marijuana is the top cash crop in a dozen states, the report states. (…) Nationwide, the estimated cannabis production of $35.8 billion exceeds corn ($23 billion), soybeans ($17.6 billion) and hay ($12.2 billion), according to Gettman’s findings.
Link to LA Times article. (Thanks, Stephen Lindholm)